Paul Rudd in terrifyingly insectile hero gearMarvel Studios

Ant-Man will always be haunted by the ghost of the film it could have been. Edgar Wright, co-writer and director of The Cornetto trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End) had been developing the film with Marvel for eight years until he left the project shortly before production. After being turned down by other directors, Marvel ultimately turned to Peyton Reed (director of Yes Man) to realize a project that many thought unrealisable unless in Wright’s hands. Because the cause of Wright’s departure was the dispute over changes to his script in order to better place the film within the wider Marvel cinematic universe, speculation is rife as to how much of the film actually reflects his original vision.

The plot of Ant-Man focuses on Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a cat burglar who is given a shot at redemption by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). The Ant-Man suit developed by Pym is on the verge of being discovered by Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), who intends to sell it to the highest bidder for militarised purposes. In order to stop such power falling into the wrong hands, Pym and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) must train Lang to be the hero that Pym once was.

Considering its elongated and ultimately turbulent production period, the faint praise of saying that it’s not a complete disaster has been commonly used in association with Ant-Man. Indeed, Peyton Reed deserves credit for delivering a film that demonstrates the cinematic promise of a concept that many would have been laughed out of town only a few short years ago.

For example, the film is aided by fantastic casting. Paul Rudd is instantly likeable as the protagonist, whilst Michael Douglas lends this cinematic feat instant heft and prestige, delivering one of the best performances we’ve seen to date in a Marvel film; he’s the ant carrying five thousand times his bodyweight in the shape of this movie. In fact, the brief flashbacks set during the Cold War make you wish for a period piece film in which he is the true protagonist. However, the audience shares the frustration of Evangeline Lilly’s character as she is sidelined from much of the action. Meanwhile, Corey Stoll is clearly having fun as the film’s villain, making the most out of a character that, like most Marvel antagonists, is sorely under-developed and ultimately unthreatening.

The story is refreshingly small-scale, both metaphorically and literally, although this does also render Ant-Man relatively underwhelming; it seems very much like a superhero film that might have been made ten years ago, perhaps reflecting the long time it took to get out of the starting blocks. The visuals are impressive, though it is here where you cannot help but yearn for Edgar Wright’s touch. The action is inventive and fun, with the finale basking wonderfully in the possibilities of its concept: but the dynamism of Wright’s direction could have made such scenes all the more spectacular. Meanwhile, the Marvel references do at times serve to undermine the film’s appeal and tension. Nevertheless, there are some nice surprises in this film for Marvel fans, and a sense of fun that is ultimately quite infectious.

Whilst a victim to Marvel homogeneity, and constantly plagued by thoughts of how things might have been in Wright's hands, Ant-Man is still a piece of well-acted and inventive summer fun.